EMERALD FIRE RISING
by Kevin M Foley
Summary: A Green Lantern/Phoenix crossover featuring two original characters. Jake Corrigan is a member of the Green lantern Corps who was charged with trying to contain the Phoenix Force before it found a new host. He was unsuccessful and it bound itself to an Ea
1. Chapter 1

EMERALD FIRE RISING, by Kevin Foley

A Green Lantern/Phoenix crossover featuring two original characters. Jake Corrigan is a member of the Green lantern Corps who was charged with trying to contain the Phoenix Force before it found a new host. He was unsuccessful and it bound itself to an Earth woman named Annabella.

My name is Jake Corrigan, and I am a Green Lantern. Think of it as a galactic police force. There are about 3600 of us to patrol the entire universe. I myself have been assigned to sector. 2814, which includes my home planet of Earth.

My only weapon is a ring of unimaginable power. The only thing that it runs on is the willpower of the user. It's been called the most powerful weapon in the universe, a claim that has been backed up time after time. This small ring allows me to fly, survive in space, create any object I can think of, shoot energy and can even be a language translator. The only limitation is the willpower of the user. And even than, there has been occasion where the user's willpower has exceeded the rings capabilities. As long as my concentration doesn't get ruined, I can maintain the objects indefinitely. And there is the fact that anything that it creates is green. Even the energy field when I fly surrounds me in a green sheath.

Enough about me for now though. My mission, as I speed back to my planet, is to try and locate and contain an entity called the Phoenix Force. What is that? Well, the Phoenix Force is an immortal and mutable manifestation of the prime universal force of life and passion. Born of the void between states of being, the Phoenix Force is a child of the universe. It is the nexus of all psionic energy which does, has, and ever will exist in all realities.....

The Phoenix is among the most feared beings in the entire existence — having the power to cut and re-grow any part of the universe, as well as destroy it entirely, which is part of the Phoenix's purpose: "The Judgment of the Phoenix", to burn away the obsolete. The Phoenix Force is described as being "the embodiment of the very passion of Creation – the spark that gave life to the Universe, the flame that will ultimately consume it.".

The Phoenix Force has the ability to manipulate cosmic energies and to tap into the life-force reserved for future generations, thus denying them existence. It can wield this energy to project beams of immense destructive force. It can transmigrate throughout time and space by folding its energy back into itself, causing it to collapse akin to a black hole and then reform itself upon reaching its destination. It can directly absorb energy, even the entire energy of a sun. It is also capable of absorbing the energy and life-force from a foe. As it is the nexus of all psionic energy, it has mental abilities of cosmic scope, including telepathy and telekinesis.  
Now, from time to time, this entity gets bored, and decides to try and understand the life in the universe better, and bonds with a being, always one with great telepathic and telekinetic power to aid in its own psionic powers. This time, it is heading to Earth.

If that happens, than Lord knows what the damage may be. Usually, in the past, when this has happened, The Phoenix will become Dark Phoenix if it allows human emotions to cloud its judgment. In this state, Phoenix is the strongest, but also is an evil entity. It thirsts for power and destruction. Totally uncontrollable, it is a force to be reckoned with as it is not bound by a human conscience.

As I approach my world, my ring picks up the huge energy signature of the the Phoenix Force as heading towards the state of Texas. I turn on the juice and head for the Lone Star State, hoping to catch up with it before it is too late. And hoping that I can contain it if I do reach it. I don't.

.. ..

I can see the smoke rising, even before my ring registers the energy signature. It has bonded with a human. I land, blending in for the most part with any other regular person. I don't wear any spandex, like those comic book guys. I have black fatigues, black combat boots, a black shirt with the green lantern insignia over the left pec, and a black leather jacket, with the symbol again on the back of it. I have on a pair of Oakley sunglasses, with green tinted lenses (got to protect the eyes out in space).

There was a house that was there, now thought, it is nothing but rubble. I just missed it, as only now can I hear sirens blaring. I act quickly, using my ring to locate any human survivors, I find one. Moving the debris, she appears unharmed, not even a scratch. I think I found the human it bonded with.

And what a human she is. Curvy, black hair, full lips, ivory skin. Almost the type of girl you would see in an old movie. The people of Earth, they wouldn't be ready for this. I think of a how to comfortably move this lovely young woman, this woman who right now is the most powerful, and dangerous, beings in the universe. I actually think of a bed, and one forms underneath her, complete with sheets, tucking her in. .

I take off, the bed in tow. I fly us as quick as I can to my home up in Boston. It's been a few weeks since I've been there, but even than, there is no place like home. Bringing us down, I move her to my real bed, my energy construct disappearing, no longer needed. She has a necklace on that says "Anabella".....

.. ..

I use my ring to give a quick scan of this woman, Anabella. No broken bones, no internal bleeding, but it is able to show her telepathic and telekinetic powers rising dangerously high. I brace myself for when she wakes, because chances are, she is going to be confused and that leads to lashing out.....

Than, I may be in trouble. God, I love this job.

As Annabella lies resting, seemingly in complete peace, my ring starts to spark. It does that very rarely, and it usually means something big. This time, I don't even have to guess what it means. I'm being contacted by the Guardians of the Universe.

The Guardians are my, and every Green Lantern, bosses. They all appear the same: elderly men, with blue skin and white hair, all midgets in red dresses. Yes, I did say midgets in red dresses. They are very strict to following the rules they made for the Lanterns, as the safety of the entire universe rests with us. They have made mistakes in choices before, and they admit to it, as they always try to learn from it. Although they can come across as cold and emotionless, it is more the weight of their duties bearing down on them.

I go into the living room, and open a channel to Oa, the center of the universe and the home base for the Guardians and the Green Lanterns. Before me, a perfect holographic image appears of one of the Guardians. After all this time, I can still not tell any of them apart.

"Greetings Lantern Corrigan" he says to me, "This is Ganthet."

I should have known it would be Ganthet. Out of all the Guardians, he is the only one that seems to think us Earthlings make competent Lanterns. He seems to have a soft spot for our ingenuity and bravado. He continued on.

"How goes your mission?"

"Well, unfortunately, I was not able to capture that Phoenix force and it merged with an Earth girl."

It's not often any Guardian shows any emotion, but Ganthet's eyes widened and his mouth hung open a bit. "This is very bad Corrigan. The Phoenix merging with a human is never a good thing. Destruction always follows."

"You know, I was briefed on that before this mission, but to be honest, if this Phoenix force thing is so deadly, why haven't any of us Lanterns heard f it before?"

"Because it is not from this universe. It is from an alternate universe. It had crossed a barrier and now roams here, and threatens our very existence. Here, it does not even have to follow the rules that bound it in its original universe. What do we know of this human?"

"Only that her name is Annabella. I just found her and brought her to my home. She is out cold right now. Not sure what happened to her, but when I got there, her house was destroyed, yet she just seems to be passed out. No injuries."

"It was the Phoenix merging with her, causing all that destruction from just that one act. Green Lantern Corrigan, you do have permission to use lethal force in this matter. This entity needs to be contained and separated form its host."

"Lethal force? You mean kill the girl?"

"Yes. Do it now, before she wakes."

"I can't just kill an innocent girl. She has done nothing. She is a victim here. For God's sake Ganthet, I do that, and I am no better than Sinestro."

Ganthet cringed at that name. The Guardians biggest mistake ever: making a being from the planet Korugar named Sinestro a Green Lantern. He used his power to conquer his planet and become undisputed ruler. An intergalactic Hitler if you will. The ramifications of his actions are still felt throughout the galaxy to this day. It took a whole host of Lanterns to separate him from his power ring. He was sentenced to eternity in the Anti-matter Universe, but he escaped (don't they always) and had a new weapon. A yellow power ring. Works the same as the green one, except it is powered by fear as opposed to willpower. He even learned to make copies of his ring and started his own corps, the Sinestro Corps. They have been a constant enemy to us for years.

"I am sorry. You are right" Ganthet said, "Than you need to bring her here, to Oa, so that we may be able to separate her from the entity. Corrigan. Jake, the fate of this universe depends on this girl being freed from the Phoenix, before it consumes her very being and runs rampant. "

And with that, he disappeared. I stood there for a few minutes, pondering his warning. The silence was almost deafening, until it was broken by an ear pitching scream from my bedroom. Annabella had woken up.


	2. Chapter 2

As soon as I enter the room, it is an assault on my mind. So many mental images flooding the place. Fortunately, my ring is able to help keep my mind from be overcome with it all, and my will power (I did say the thing runs on it) helps to keep me sane also.

I see images; almost ghost like, of little children being taken from their parents, grown people being starved to death, a young couple being married, an older couple being harassed by some street kids and the older man being brutally beaten. I do notice that the young woman that was getting married, she looks a lot like Annabella.

Finally, I am able to see the real Annabella. She is just standing and staring at the mirror. Touching her face, as if she hasn't seen herself before. It's obvious these images are coming from her, but why? I reach to touch the images of the young children and my hand goes right through it. Just a mental projection. I make my way over to Annabella, letting my shields down to try and put her at ease.

"Excuse me?" I say to her, "Annabella?" She doesn't even look at me. I'm not even sure she hears me.

I gently place my hand on her shoulder. "Are you Annabella?" I ask; when all of a sudden I feel myself being pulled from her, like a hook is pulling me. I crash through the window and begin to fall; 25 stories.

I give a sigh, and collect myself from the sudden ejection from my own home and think of flying. My body gets covered in its green aura and I begin to slow and I head back up. I go thru the big bay window that is in my bedroom, the one I was just thrown out of, and see that Annbella has turned around.

She is just starting in my direction. Not really at me, but in that area. Her head is tilted a bit to the side as her eyes, which coincidentally are green, are just kind of blank.

"Ok lady. I can understand being under distress, but was using your mind powers on me really necessary? I hate to brag, but I did save you and bring you here to recuperate?" Nothing. No response. "This is going to be a very boring conversation unless you decide to talk. You do know how to talk, don't you?"

Than I could feel it. Inside my head, almost like someone was knocking on a door. This, in a way, is what she was doing. She was trying to get into my mind. I got caught off guard the first time, not again. I use my willpower to push her away, or try to. Her mind is strong, but I don't sense anything unusual about it. Nothing to say that she had a cosmic being merged with her.

Maybe Ganthet was wrong. Maybe this Phoenix Force isn't that powerful. He has been wrong before, like that time when I was still a rookie. Shit! One thought of the past, one stray thought, and I feel her enter my mind, my memories flooding out for her to see. Oh my, this is what they must mean by your life passing in front of your eyes.

I see my parents and me as a baby; growing up in Boston; my dad, the policeman, going to work that night and never coming home; my mother drinking herself into a bottle; me entering the marines, the black ops missions, my unit being killed as I was left for dead with them; being rescued from them two weeks later; the calling from the Corps; my ring seeking me out; the training from Killowog; my early assignments; being partnered with some of the other veteran Earth Green Lanterns before they retired; meeting the love of my life, Marquessa of the planet Hae'kas; her death at the hands of the Sinestro Crops. All of that, ending with the present, with me finding her; bringing her here, my talk with Ganthet and her throwing me out the window with her TK powers.

Finally, I feel her leave my mind. I'll never forget that feeling. Hell, my head feels like it is going to explode as is. I look up at her as she gives an embarrassed smile.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to. I….I just don't know what happened to me. I needed to know."

"And you didn't just ask because…." I say sarcastically, as I get back up.

"I….I don't know. I still can't make sense of this. What ahs happened to me?"

"Well, you saw. A very powerful and dangerous cosmic being has decided to use you as its host."

"That I saw. I still find that hard to believe, but I can feel it inside me. But, how did my body get to look like this?" she asked as she gave a twirl.

She did have a nice figure. Curvy in the right places, nothing overdone on her, her skin a bit paler than most, especially people living in Texas. Her hair so dark, like the night and those green eyes and those full pouty lips.

"You mean you didn't look like this?"

"I did….50 years ago." She said, her voice raising, almost sounding panicky, as my mouth just fell open.

"Oh" was all I could say.


	3. Chapter 3

I shook my head, trying to clear the cobwebs from y mind. Having your life run through in 30 seconds tended to leave one a bit dazed and confused. Fortunately (or should it be unfortunately) it wasn't the first time my mind was violated like this, so I was at least able to keep my emotions in check.

"Are you ok?" Annabelle asked me, "You look like you are about to faint, young man."

That got a chuckle out of me. Physically, I definitely looked older than her, yet, after that revelation from her, she was right. I was a young man compared to her. Hell, compared to the entity inside her, I was more like an infant.

"I'll be fine, Annabelle. And please, call me Jake. After that mind read, I think you know me well enough to sue my name."

"I am so sorry. I didn't mean to read your entire mind. Just felt this pull to it. I only wanted to know what had happened and where I was. I…..I feel so lost right now." She was fighting the tears. Probably cause if they started, it would never stop. Let's face it, with everything that had happened, most people would have had a nervous breakdown at best, and just gone completely insane at worse.

"It's ok. I underestimated the amount of power you had. I'm usually much better at blocking mental attacks. Now, tell me, Annabelle, those images I saw. Those were of your life, weren't they?"

She slowly nodded yes, the tears starting to slowly come. I went over to her and led her out to the living room, helping her to sit on the couch while I took the chair next to it. We sat for a bit, as she did her best to compose herself.

"Annabelle, what were all those images I saw?" I finally asked.

"They were of my life" she responded, her voice sounding weak and strained, "I was born in Germany in 1923." Annabelle looked past me, as if she was drifting, but she continued on, "my family and I were Jewish, and needless to say, were put in those damn camps, those death camps, once that bastard took power. Me and my younger brother and sister were separated from our parents. They starved us and worked us from sunrise until well past sunset. I remember at night, being too afraid to cry, I would pray for something, anything, to come and help me. And there were times I thought I could hear that something trying to answer me and find me.

"It seemed like an eternity that we there. Or, I should say, I was there. None of family survived. Than, finally, we were liberated by the Allies. The war was fast coming to an end. Once I was well enough, I came to America. Land of the free. Or so they said. Seemed to me, if you did not speak English, I most difficult language to master, than nobody gave a care about you. They'd just assume spit on you than talk to you. Well, most of them anyways." She said, as her face relaxed, and a smile slowly came across it.

"He taught me how to speak the language, and during it, we grew close and fell in love." I nodded, not wanting to interrupt with questions that had obvious answers to them. "His name was George. He was so handsome and dashing. He was a college professor in English. He treated me as if I was the most precious person in the world. How could I not fall in love with him? We married after a very short courtship. We lived a happy life, despite not being able to have children. We traveled a lot, even back to my homeland, once that god awful wall came down.

"Once he retired, we moved to Texas. It's where he was originally from. We lived in a nice neighborhood there. There was a good synagogue near by as well. Even though George was not Jewish, he wasn't one for any faith really; he always encouraged me to keep going. Than one day, after services, I noticed some young men lurking outside. George had met me and we had walked home, but once we got inside, those men broke in. The names they had called us. They were those Nazi follower types. I couldn't control my anger and shouted back at them. One of them came after me with a knife, but George stepped in front…" her voice trailed off as her tears returned.

"The reality of what they did must have scared them, as they ran out right after that. But I will never forget their faces, or their thoughts. I've always had a slight gift for reading minds. The more powerful the thought, the more it jumped out at me. And those men, the things they wanted to do, just because I was Jewish?"

"I'm so sorry Annabelle. I know what hate can do and how it can make beings act like that." I stumbled out, trying to be sympathetic, knowing I was failing. "When did you lose him?"

She continued on, as if she didn't hear me.

"I sat there, holding George. My beloved husband. He managed to give me one last goodbye before he left me forever. All the rage and fury I felt at them. It was as if my very soul cried out for help. The next thing I know, there was a fiery flash, and I was here."

"This just happened?" I said dumbfounded.

"Yes." She said, her voice changing. It sounded different. A bit colder, yet it was filled with such fire, such passion. "And now….I can feel it inside me. I can get those boys. Make them pay for what they did." Annabelle said, rising up.

I could see her aura. The Phoenix aura. It was as if she was bathed in fire. Fire in the shape of a bird. It was definitely well named.


	4. Chapter 4

I had to do something. The way she was talking, I doubted she was just going to have the police arrest these guys. The flames though, resembled a bird so much, that the first thing I thought of was a bird cage. And that was what Annabelle found herself in. A green bird cage.

Probably not the best idea I've ever had. Her face turned to me, covered in nothing but darkness, her eyes seemingly smoldering with flames as well.

"How dare you" came the voice from her, but not the soft, smooth voice from earlier. This voice…well, I imagine it must be what the devil sounds like. It just sent chills up my spine.

"Sorry Annabelle" I said, "but I can't have you going off half cocked to administer your own justice. Besides, this entity that is inside you, I need to take you some place where it can be removed."

"Removed!" she said, than came a laugh any villain in a movie would die to have. "You cannot remove it. It is a part of me now. And you, you are just a child playing a game far too complicated. Now enough!"

It felt like a truck had slammed into me, as I got knocked back and into a wall. It caught me off guard, so I wasn't able to brace myself. Everything went black, and I knew with my concentration broken that Annabelle was free. I had failed. Again.

I had no idea how long I was out for, but it was more minutes than hours, as the sun was still in the same relative positioning as before. But regardless, she had a head start. I shot forward and out the balcony window and sped off towards Texas once again. My mind was concentrating on going faster and faster, trying to make up ground and catch up with her. The countryside went by in a blur, with no time for sightseeing. It took about 20 minutes to get to Texas when my ring gave off the signal showing that it had locked onto Annabelle's energy. I zeroed into the location the ring showed. It wouldn't have been hard to find though.

The streets were torn a part, cars appeared to have been "thrown" all around. Some buildings were ruined. Hell hath no fury, but this was way beyond that. People were running thru the streets, screaming, crying. I saw a small girl get knocked down and people just kept going over her. I quickly put up a wall around her and floated her up to me. Generally, I try and keep a low profile on Earth with my powers. It's not one of the planets that has successfully intertwined with other galactic races yet, but I couldn't watch this little girl get killed.

She looked shocked and amazed. "Wow" was the first thing she said.

"Are you ok? Are you hurt?"

"I…I don't think so." She said staring at me.

"Why is everyone running?" I asked her, pretty sure of the answer.

"There is this lady tearing everything up. Saying we are all sinners. She has three guys that she is slowly peeling away their skin. She said we would all be next." And a tear started to fall down her cheek. "I want my mommy" was the last thing she said before crying.

I could see a police cruiser with the lights going and a cop trying to direct people. I flew over and lowered the little girl down next to him.

"Make sure she finds her family" I bellowed as he looked at me in astonishment.

"Thank you Mr. Superman" I may have to get a publicist I thought to myself as I headed towards where people were fleeing from. I could see the flame wings, much bigger than before. Even with all the panic and chaos around, I could hear the screams of those men as she tortured them.

I stopped before I got t close. "Ring, direct additional power to psi-shields" I instructed, not wanting a repeat mind attack like earlier. Than, it was time to confront her. No trying to reason with Annabelle. She had to be stopped before it got even worse.


	5. Chapter 5

Part 5

The little girl was right though. Annabelle was peeling the skin off the 3 men that had killed her husband. She was afloat in the air, about 6 stories up from the ground, with one of the men in front of her, a bloody mess. I could see the flesh was off his arms and most of his face. The other two were pressed against a building wall, being held by an invisible force. One of them was all limp, and judging from the fact that he had no skin left, I assumed he was dead. The last man was screaming hysterically for God to intervene and calling Annabelle every derogatory name he could.

I could see bullet shells littering the street beneath Annabelle. The cops must have tried shooting her, to no avail. Her TK shield was more powerful than that. I needed to do something to break her concentration and separate her from the men. I started towards her, coming up on her side. She was so engrossed with her torture, that she didn't notice me.

As I got near her, I pictured a huge Louisville Slugger bat and swung it at her. "Batter Up!" I yelled, and she turned just in time for the bat to hit her full force with an upward swing. She flew out of sight. I should be playing for the Red Sox with that type of swing. Without Annabelle holding the men up, they immediately started to fall. I encased them in bubbles and gently lowered them to the ground.

Police and paramedics rushed to their aid. The one that hadn't yet been harmed could only keep saying "Thank You" to me. It made my skin crawl for a piece of garbage like him to thank me.

"Save it" I snapped, a piece of green tape appearing over his mouth. I turned to the nearest police officer. "Once they are treated, you may want to look into their involvement in the murder of George Manning." Just because I wouldn't let Annabelle kill them didn't mean they got off scot-free. "They may be linked to other hate crimes as well. They are neo-Nazi's" The officer shook his head.

"YOU CALL THAT JUSTICE!" I heard bellowing from all around. As I looked around, I couldn't see her anywhere. I turned one last time to get greeted by a light pole batting me across the street and off a concrete wall.

"Shit. Caught me off guard" I muttered, as I clutched my ribs. I didn't have my shields up. That hurt. A lot. As I staggered up, I saw two big SUV's heading at me from opposite directions. I only had time to think of being safe, but that was enough. I was encased within a green safe as I heard the two vehicles crash and crunch around me.

"This bitch plays for keeps" I thought to myself. Once the noises from the SUV's stopped, I split the safe in half and had them push outwards, knocking the trucks away from me. And before me, there she was.

It was the first time I really was able to look at her since she flew out of my apartment. Her body looked like it had been bathed in various metals, as her outfit glistened in the sun. It was mostly black, yet with a huge white bird, a phoenix, across her chest, yet her gloves and boots were white. But it was her face that caught my attention. It was just total darkness. As if it was covered in ashes. Except for the eyes. The eyes looked like the were literally on fire. What little flesh showed on her face, under the darkness, looked paler than before. Her hair, which was black, now seemed to have red highlights, a crimson red at that.

"You cannot stop me Jake. The police won't do anything. Hell, George's body was destroyed when we merged together." She told me as I could see the men floating behind her. I got myself ready, my green sheath back around me, my mental shields in place. I think she actually smiled though.

"Jake, I don't want to hurt you. it is them that need punishment. But, I can't let you stop me. So, I won't delay the inevitable anymore."

Before I could even react, I could hear one of the men, his bones all crush at ones, crushing into saw dust. And the other, I'm assuming he must have been the ring leader, as his was the most gruesome. Every limb, every joint was, at the same time, ripped apart from his body leaving only a pile of flesh, bones and blood. He basically became a human jigsaw puzzle.

My mouth fell open in shock. In my time, I had seen many horrific things done to other living beings. But never by one human to another. My horror started to turn to anger. I wanted to help this woman? This is what I pleaded with Ganthet about to spare her life, so she could do this? I was angry with failing, angry for not being quick enough. And mostly, I was angry with the laughter I heard from Annabelle…from the Phoenix at what it had done.

"Now, there are more sinners out there. More that need my judgment" she said as she started to fly away. If my eyes weren't green from all the years wearing this ring, they would have been red. As red as hers.

"You cold hearted bitch" I mumbled, "More judgment?! Over my dead body!" the words came out louder. I launched myself at her, grabbing her with an emerald claw. I could feel her fighting it, lashing out with her powers, but my will was too strong this time. I wanted her off this planet, and dammit, she was going to get off it. I headed for the stars. Earth was going to be spared, but I wasn't sure about me….or the universe.


	6. Chapter 6

As we sped thru space, leaving the Milky Way galaxy and heading towards Oa, Annabelle finally stopped trying to break free. She was pushing my willpower to the max, but this time, I was not going to falter. She was going to answer for what she had done. Maybe I should have listened to Ganthet and had destroyed her when I had the chance.

Not destroy. Murder her. And that is not the way I do things. At the time, she hadn't done anything wrong. It's just amazing that she became so drunk with power so quickly. Hopefully the Guardians can do something. Maybe separate her from this Phoenix force and send it back where it came from, while Annabelle gets the proper punishment.

As I sped thru the Fenri Galaxy, I started to think of Oa. Hard to believe that I considered it as much my home as I did Earth. Than again, I have spent so much time there. From training as a Lantern, to being stationed on the planet for my first couple years in service to the Guardians. Course, it helped that it was such a beautiful planet. I often joked that it was really Oz, cause of all the emerald structures there. And of course all the different races of life forms that the Guardians had recruited to be Lanterns really made it as close to a melting pot as one could get.

And there was the fact that it was the center of the universe. It is where all life expanded from in my universe. That, of course, had made it a constant target for the standard cosmic nihilist. Like anything else, if the center goes, everything else will crumble around it.

"What a pity that would be" I heard in my head. I came to a sudden and complete stop as I turned to face Annabelle. "Awww, poor baby thought he was keeping me out of his head. Like a pathetic human like you could stop the Phoenix!" the thoughts echoed thru my skull.

I stared at her, our eyes looking. Hers red with fire, mine as green as my powers, neither one willing to look away. At that moment, without even thinking it, we both knew what the other was going to do. She was going to destroy Oa, wanting to end life everywhere all because of her own loss. I would die to stop that from happening.

She smiled at me, as my face got red with anger, and I shouted at her "You are going to condemn everyone to death, every living being in this universe, all because of your own personal loss?"

Than came the laugh. So cold and wicked, ringing in my head. "My personal loss? You foolish child. This body is my vessel. It was due to her loss that I was able to latch on. I always need a host, but this one, with her mental powers, reminded me of my favorite host from another universe. One I have longed to get back, but this woman, she is so close in power, how could I resist.

"It didn't take much to bond with her. Once she remembered what had happened. She longed for revenge and I offered it to her. A chance for retribution, and to be young again. I even convinced her that I will reunite her with her husband. Of course, once she was able to see what I was doing to those males, she tried to fight back. By than though, she had given away too much of herself to me, and she is just a helpless witness."

I floated there, shocked. It finally dawned on me why it was so imperative to capture this entity before it bonded with a person. On its own, it couldn't act. Once it had a living being, it took it over and used that person as its puppet. That's all Annabelle was to it now. She hadn't committed those crimes after all. Or at least not directly. The Phoenix used her for her own sick, demented pleasure.

"Finally figured that out. And you are supposed to be a big hero." And than her "wings" those flame wings, shout out and destroyed the cage I had her in. "I've been waiting to do that for hours now. But, I figured I'd play along and wait for your mind to relax a bit. Once I felt those thoughts of Oa, now that caught my attention."

"No!" I yelled, as I pointed my ring and shot at her. I wanted it to hurt, so I made the ray take the forms of hundreds of spikes. Problem was none of them reached her. She stopped them with her mind, effortlessly, as I sat and strained trying to will them to move, but it was no good.

"Poor dear" she said, "trying so hard to beat me. Such willpower you have. If I had known that, I would have sought you out to begin with. No matter, for now, I bid you good-bye. I need a nice snack, I am famished. Until we meet again, Jake Corrigan. I'll see you on Oa."

I felt the pull, I tried to stop it, but as I tried to think, my mind went………………….

Blank? I was still in the same spot as before, but Annabe….the Phoenix was gone. I got mind fucked. That bitch completely fucked my mind over. I started back up to Oa again when I saw it.

The Phoenix force in all it's glory. It was light years away from me, at the center of the Fenri galaxy, yet the image was so big, it still dwarfed me. It was feeding off the sun. I started to head towards her, when it all went black. She had drained the sun of all its energy and left it a burnt out star. The Phoenix had just doomed this galaxy. Without the sun, all life would eventually die out for these inhabitants. More so than on Earth, this galaxy relied on its sun. Its inhabitants sustained their lives by the solar rays of it, and now, it was gone.

I finally realized it. I can't win. I can't stop her. The Phoenix is too powerful. It just doomed an entire galaxy, all because it was "hungry". She had done nothing but manipulate and toy with me since the start. No, I couldn't defeat her.

At least not alone. It was time to call them. Time to bring in the Green Lantern Corps


	7. Chapter 7

As I prepared to send out the alert, several steaks of blue light ehaded towards me. Blue Lanterns no doubt. They were like the Corps, special rings to do special things. Their primary color was blue, in case the name didn't give it away. While the green is for willpower and the yellow for fear, the blue represents hope. And right now, that is exactly what I need.

All in all, it is five Blue Lanterns that head towards me. They stop, and I recognize one of them.

"Hail Green Lantern Corrigan." He says, raising his hand in peace. It was Nug Terg, the highest ranking of the Blue Lanterns. A member of the Gerva race. His skin reflected his own emotions. He was like a living mood ring. And being a Bklue Lantern, he was normally blue skinned. And, other than the antennae on his forehead and his three fingered hands, he looked human. It really was amazing how much I noticed the similarities of alien races with my own, than the differences.

"Nug, thank goodness. Things have gone to hell." I say, the anguish heavy in my voice. I tell him the tale, the readers digest version.

Nug thought for a moment, and at this point, even that moment may cost us. Time was really of the essence.

"Go" he said to me, "go save Oa. Get your comrades to help. We will assist the people of Fenri Galaxy. We can get them to a safe location, I hope. But this being needs to be stopped."

"Thank you Nug" I said, as I took his hand and shaked it. This gesture always confused him. I turned and headed, as fast as possible to Oa. I had toi alert the others though.

"Ring, send out the alert. Code Zero" I said, as my ring echoed it

"Code Zero"

The code. Only used once before. This code was for a full fledge attack on Oa. All Lanterns were to return to Oa immediately. Some, their rings would even force them to go. It was not mandatory. I heard a crackling in the ring, as a voice boomed through it.

"Corrigan? You sent the alert? What the fuck happened?" I knew that voice. Kilowog. The toughest of us. The drill sargent for the new recruits. And one of the most respected Lanterns ever.

"Kilowog, I'm sorry. I was given a mission and failed. Now, Oa is going to pay the price."

"This about that phoenix thing Ganthet warned us on?"

"Exactly" a bit surprised and relieved that Ganthet had filled them in on what we were going up against.

"How bad is it?"

"Kil, she just snuffed out the sun for the Fenri Galaxy with a thought. That bad enough for you? She has tossed me around like a damn rag doll since the beginning. We need all of us if we even have a prayer."

"Oh." Was all he could say. "Where are you?"

"Heading for a space gate so I can beat her there. Give me ten minutes."

The space gates were portals that helped for intergalactic travel. It cut down tremendously with the time. As far as I knew, Annabelle did not know about it, so that gave me the advantage. Even so, with the power she ahs, it wouldn't give me much of a break. I came up on it fast and didn't slow down at all. Once I entered it, I was bathed in the bright light and could feel myself being shot across the universe like a bullet out of a gun.

Once I exited on the other side, I could see Oa. It shined like a beacon. I always called it the Emerald Planet. I moved as fast as my thougths would allow me, and headed for the main meeting hall of the Guardians. As I approached, I saw a large number of Lanterns gathered around the hall. They all looked up as I got closer. The Gaurdians were out there too. All of them. Floating above the Lanterns. I lowered myself down and joined them.

"Lantern Corrigan, please, give us a report." Ganthet said.

I again gave the tale. This time in more detail. I went over it all. Not being able to contain it before it possessed Annabelle. Not being able to kill her in cold blood, the destruction and death she caused on Earth, the way she played and manipulated me before destroying the Fenri System. And her desire to come for Oa. When I was done, I saw a lot of things on the faces of my fellow Corps members. Some were scared, others concerned and frightened. And some showed anger at me. Kilowog, my original trainer, he showed something else. He showed confidence. In me, in the corps, in being able to win.

"So, because you were too gutless to destroy this thing, you out the entire universe in jeopardy?!" demanded Lantern Jaso. Others around him started agreeing with him.

"Enough" came Ganthet's voice. "Lantern Corrigan has shown time after time astute judgment. It was he that had to remind me that the Green Lantern Cops are peace keepers and law enforcement. Not judge, jury and executioners."

"Yeah, you Poozers" Kilowog chimed in, "Jake has always been a perfect Lantern. I stand by him no matter what. Hell, I'd have done the same thing" he said as he came and stood by my side. He was as tall and jacked as ever. And that face. I always said he looked like a pig with no snout. He was not the person you wanted against you in a fight, that's for sure. And now, more so than ever, I was glad he was on my side.

"Regardless of what some of you may think or feel about me, Oa is still in grave danger, and this universe is in grave danger. If Ann…the Phoenix succeeds and destroys Oa, than we all perish. The entire universe. We need a united front to stop her. And, I hate to sound pessimistic, I'm not even sure that will work. I've never seen such power." I let my ring show off the readings of the Phoenix force and show some of the holograms of what she had done earlier. I heard a lot of gasping.

"All I know is, if we stand separate, we will die. United we got a chance."

"Than allow us to up those chances, Corrigan." Came a voice that made my skin crawl. I didn't nee to look to know who it was. As usual, his timing sucked. I turned with the rest of the Corps and stared at the being who was once heralded as the perfect Lantern before he got a god complex and turned on us all. Sinestro.

And with him, was his entire Sinestro Corps, all with their yellow power rings. This day just got even shittier.


End file.
